What is your experience in Divorce Law?
Ms. Gloria James-Civetta is a certified Associate Mediator at the State Courts of Singapore and the Singapore Mediation Centre (SMC).
She is a Harvard Law School-trained Mediator and a Collaborative Family Practice trained lawyer.
Being trained in these areas helps Ms. Gloria James provide additional services to her clients. This allows clients to consider various options and avenues in taking their case forward.
With her track record and experience, she has successfully mediated cases and achieved a successful settlement for cases under the collaborative route.
How Many Years Have You Been Handling Divorce Cases For?
Ms James has been representing both Local and Expat clients for 30 years and presided over
- High-Net-worth Local and Expat contested divorces in Singapore
- Cross-border Divorces involving various jurisdictions – UK, Australia, USA, Europe, Indonesia, China, S.E. Asian Countries
She has been profiled in publications ranging from The Straits Times to the Singapore Women`s Weekly and is a regular contributor to various other newspaper columns and radio shows related to Family law and Criminal law in Singapore.
What is Your Philosophy in Handling Divorce Cases?
That every client’s case is important to us. Simply put, She dispenses advice based on law and her extensive years of experience and previous precedents.
Ms. Gloria James provides open, honest, and transparent Family Law advice tailored to your specific circumstances, offering recommendations and strategies that can be applied to your case.
She is a certified Collaborative Family Practitioner, Parenting Coordination Lawyer, Child Representative Lawyer, Associate Mediator, Family Mediator, Primary Justice Lawyer, CDC Divorce Coach®, and Harvard Law School-trained Mediator.
How Many of Your Cases go to Trial?
Cases only go through the litigation route (trial) only when all other avenues have failed. Trial is always the last resort as we are mindful over costs. Sometimes we take cases to trial when the other party is very unreasonable and makes demands that warrants a judge to make a court order.
What we strive to achieve is a fair balance and the best possible results for our clients in the alternative avenues and trial process if needed.
Are there Any Changes in Singapore Divorce Law that Could Affect My Case?
Modification of existing procedures and practices:
Divorce by mutual agreement
: This new 6th fact for divorce in Singapore allows couples to end their marriage amicably without assigning blame to either party. Both spouses must agree that the marriage has irretrievably broken down and come to a consensus on key issues such as child custody, maintenance, and the division of assets.
This approach aims to reduce conflict and streamline the divorce process, making it less adversarial and more collaborative. The mutual agreement is then presented to the court for approval, ensuring that the terms are fair and in the best interests of any children involved.
A new judge-led approach
: A judge will be appointed to each case, and will direct the case moving forward. This is in contrast to the old adversarial approach, where lawyers on opposing teams are primarily responsible for bringing matters forward.
This aims to serve the needs and sensitivities of both parties (not merely one), and to benefit the family as a whole.
New central registry
: the Registry will manage all cases.
- Urgent cases where violence and family safety issues are involved may be placed on an expedited track.
- Cases will be handled in accordance with their requirements, in recognition of the fact that each case comes with its unique set of facts and circumstances
Family Justice Rules committee for a more efficient process
A contested divorce may often be a lengthy one. Multiple court documents need to be filed, with parties exchanging complicated affidavits several times.
The Family Justice Rules committee will play a role in simplifying court forms, reducing the length of affidavits and developing templates to ensure that only relevant information is presented.
This will reduce the time spent by lawyers in double-checking all pertinent details and result in lower lawyers and court fees. Also, fewer Pre-Trial Conferences (PTCs) will mean that the divorce process will be brought forward and can be concluded more quickly.
Where a child is involved
The court may appoint a registered medical practitioner, psychologist, counselor, social worker or mental health professional to examine and assess the child with the function of preparing expert evidence for use in those proceedings.
The child’s state of mind and well-being may be considered, with the professional healthcare or social worker providing help and support for the child during this difficult period.
More changes may be introduced in time to come. The Family Justice Act is only the first step in strengthening the social support network for families in difficulty. As we progress in time, the law evolves.
At GJC Law, we keep ourselves apprised with the latest developments and latest court decisions that can affect a case, so that we can always provide the best advice to our client.
Is My First Consultation With One of Your Lawyers Free?
During your first consultation, you will speak directly with one of our family lawyers FREE of charge.
Our lawyer will:
- Explain how the divorce process works
- Address your questions and concerns
- explain the choices you have
- agree with you on a strategy or path to follow
A lawyer will be assigned to you based on your personal needs so that you can obtain the best possible outcome in your case.
Contact Our Experienced Divorce Lawyers
Lawyers at Gloria James-Civetta & Co are family lawyers who understand Singapore law and how to protect your rights throughout the divorce or mediation process.
At the free consultation stage, our Divorce Lawyers will:
- Assess if you can file for divorce in Singapore.
- Help you understand each step of the divorce process.
- Address questions & concerns related to divorce process.
- Help you explore your divorce options.
